The present invention relates to the methods of obtaining the adjustable capacitor for low-voltage and high-voltage.
Known mechanical method of obtaining an adjustable capacitor uses the step of changing distance between capacitor plates or the step of changing the active area of capacitor plates.
This method has following shortcomings:
It is difficult to make this capacitor hermetic;
The capacitor can change its electrical characteristics because it is not hermetic and in consequence of friction between moving parts;
It is not expedient to use a mechanical method for capacitors with a big capacity, for high-voltage capacitors, for Vacuum Capacitors and for Gas Capacitors;
It is not possible to use a mechanical method for changing capacities of Electrolytic Capacitors which plates are realized as spirals;
The peak of energy density is not high.
Examples of adjustable capacitors without mechanical parts are described in U.S. Pat. No 3,737,688, Cl. 310-2 and U.S.S.R Patent No 769650, Cl. H OI G 7/06. Both inventions have the step of creating a glow-discharge between capacitor plates and use two supplementary electrodes. In both inventions a capacity of a capacitor changes by changing quantity of free charges.
This method can not provide a wide range of changing a capacity of a capacitor and obviously can not be used for changing a capacity of all other types of capacitors and the peak of energy density can not be high.
An object of the present invention is to transform all types of the capacitors (including Electrolytic, Vacuum, high-voltage capacitors) into adjustable capacitors without mechanical parts and to provide broad ranges of changing the capacity of the adjustable capacitor. This first object is attained by steps of:
choosing the capacity of a first capacitor or a first group of capacitors less than the capacity of a second capacitor or a second group of capacitors;
connecting at least said first and second capacitors or said first and second groups of capacitors in series;
connecting capacitor plates of said first capacitor or said first group of capacitors or their terminals through at least one cell, which changes its resistance or reactance, and/or at least one switching device and/or at least one adjustable resistance and/or at least one adjustable reactance device(s);
then converting at least one of said cells or switching devices or adjustable resistance or adjustable reactance devices into a non-conducting state or into a state with higher impedance within charging of said second capacitor or said second group of capacitors;
and then connecting electrically the capacitor plates of said first capacitor or said first group of capacitors or their terminals.
It is possible to change the capacity of the adjustable capacitors differently:
by changing the duration of a period of time when at least one of said cell or switching device or adjustable resistance or adjustable reactance device is in a non-conducting state or in a state with higher impedance;
by changing the value of resistance and/or reactance of supplementary adjustable cell and/or supplementary adjustable device(s);
by changing the value of the voltage of a voltage source.
Another object of the invention is to provide discharge time of Adjustable Vacuum Capacitors, Adjustable Gas Capacitors and other capacitors during a period of time which is of the order of microseconds and less. This second object is attained by steps of:
detecting the voltage of said first capacitor or said first group of capacitors within its discharging;
receiving signals of detecting;
using said signals in said step of connecting electrically the capacitor plates of said first capacitor or said first group of capacitors;
and said step of connecting electrically, the capacitor plates of said first capacitor or said first group of capacitors, is realized as a short circuit.
Another object of the invention is to obtain Adjustable Electrolytic Capacitors, Vacuum Capacitors, Gas Capacitors, Ceramic Capacitors, Mica Capacitors, etc. which can be easily manufactured. This third object is attained by step of:
combining a capacitor plate of said first capacitor with a capacitor plate of said second capacitor, which have the same potential, or combining the capacitor plates of said first group of capacitors with the capacitor plates, which have the same potential, of said second group of capacitors.
Another object of the invention is to obtain adjustable capacitors with the higher energy density. This fourth object is attained by the solution:
in which the area of the non-combined capacitor plate or plates, of said first capacitor or said first group of capacitors, is realized less than the area of the combined capacitor plate or combined capacitor plates;
and by steps of: installing said all capacitor plates in a hermetic volume;
filling said hermetic volume by at least a gas with a higher pressure than the atmospheric pressure or creating a vacuum in said hermetic volume with a pressure between 10xe2x88x928 and 0,6 Pa.
Another object of the present invention is to obtain adjustable capacitors which can multiply a voltage of said voltage source. This fifth object is attained by steps of:
choosing at least two other capacitors or two other groups of capacitors accordingly equal to said first and second capacitors or accordingly equal to said first and second group of capacitors;
connecting said two other capacitors or two other groups of capacitors in series;
repeating on said other capacitors or on said other groups of capacitors all steps which are realized with said first and second capacitors or all steps which are realized with said first and second groups of capacitors;
connecting said first, second and said other capacitors or said first, second groups of capacitors and said other groups of capacitors in series during discharging of said all capacitors.
Another object of the invention is to obtain adjustable capacitors for electric circuit of alternating voltage. This sixth object is attained by steps of:
connecting a third capacitor or third group of capacitors with said first capacitor or first group of capacitors or with second capacitor or second group of capacitors in series;
connecting the capacitor plates of said third capacitor or said third group of capacitors by a first short circuit during a period of time when the voltage direction is positive;
then connecting the capacitor plates of said first capacitor or said first group of capacitors by a second short circuit during a period of time when the voltage direction is negative;
connecting capacitor plates of said third capacitor or said third group of capacitors or their terminals through at least one additional cell, which changes its resistance or reactance, and/or at least one additional switching device and/or at least one additional adjustable resistance and/or at least one additional adjustable reactance device(s);
then converting at least one of said additional cells or additional switching devices or additional adjustable resistance or additional adjustable reactance devices into a non-conducting state or into a state with higher impedance within charging of said second capacitor or said second group of capacitors;
and then connecting electrically the capacitor plates of said third capacitor or said third group of capacitors or their terminals.
Another object of the invention is to obtain adjustable capacitor with possibility to change the maximum voltage of charging the adjustable capacitor in alternating-current circuit. This seventh object is attained by steps of:
charging and discharging said capacitors or said groups of capacitors through at least one load or through at least one load and rectifier;
connecting capacitor plates of said second capacitor or second group of capacitors or their terminals by a third short circuit and then breaking said third short circuit.